Freedom fighter, Congress stalwart Bheemanna Khandre dies at age of 100, Karnataka CM to attend funeral

“Bhemanna Khandre, who participated in the freedom struggle under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, later made his mark at the forefront of the Karnataka Unification Movement as well. A born fighter who stood firm like a rock to keep the Bidar district within Karnataka and succeeded in that effort too. The footprints of Bhimanna Khandre’s life are immortal in this soil,” Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said in a condolence message.

“His contributions as a four-time MLA, two-time member of the Legislative Council, and as a Minister will always be remembered,” stated Deputy CM D K Shivakumar.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Khandre was “a freedom fighter, educationist, and stalwart Congressman, he devoted his entire life to the service of the nation and the people of Karnataka.”

‘A gentle soul with a strong will’

AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge, who hails from the northern part of Karnataka, said Khandre was a gentle soul with a strong will, known for his straightforwardness and self-respect. He was always at the forefront of movements for the people and was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to join the freedom struggle. His contributions to Karnataka’s unification movement will be remembered forever.”

A Kayakayogi and a Karmayogi

As a freedom fighter, Khandre fought for the liberation of Hyderabad from the Nizams and the Rajakars, and later played a key role in ensuring the Bidar district was a part of Karnataka during the unification of Karnataka.

Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said that his father was someone who lived for the people. “He lived as a Kayakayogi and Karmayogi for the entire hundred years he lived, adopting the principles of Basavadi Sharanar (the founder of the Lingayat belief) in his life,” Eshwar Khandre said.

Khandre always stood against injustice and was called Baba by the people of Bhalki due to his simple lifestyle, spotless public life, for being a man of his word, and tolerance for all.

Khandre was the president of the Bhalki Municipality in 1953 and began contesting the Assembly elections from 1957. He initially contested from Aurad in Bidar and was defeated by a margin of just 200 votes in 1957.

He entered the state assembly for the first time in 1962 and was subsequently elected three more times, and was a member of the state legislative council on two occasions.

An advocate of family planning programmes

A hallmark of Bheemanna Khandre’s career was the implementation of the family planning programme in 1976, where a record number of sterilization surgeries were done in Bidar.

While Khandre condemned the forcible sterilization of young people by some officers, he went around convincing families with more than two children to adopt family planning and facilitated more than 2,500 sterilisation surgeries in a single day.

The senior Khandre was also the president of the All India Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha, where he increased the number of life members from just a few thousand to over one lakh, and also purchased a plot of land in Bengaluru to house the Mahasabha.